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The Perfect Polish For Fall

I have finally found a polish that lasts for more than three days!

Gel has been around for forever and I’ve tried it many, many times. It has traditionally lasted longer than regular polish (like 7 days instead of two or three) but it still felt a little spendy to get my nails done if it was just going to peel off within a week. It was a fun once-in-a-while event to get a manicure, but never something I did regularly.

Then last month, my friend took me to her neighborhood nail place where they use some magical polish, give the best hand massages and their polish job lasts weeks. Since then, I’ve been in two more times.

On our first trip, I chose a typical Emily color: a soft white called It’s In The Cloud. I do love a neutral nail.

I’m not sure if it is the quality of the polish or something special with the lights the salon uses, but to my surprise, it lasted nearly three weeks. That is an absolute record for me. By then the tips were showing some cracking so it wasn’t looking perfect and my nails were far longer than I prefer. Every time I typed on my computer I felt like my fingers were spider-legs tap-tap-tapping along. It was time for a refresh.

I went in for a second time, strayed from my norm and chose a warm peachy-red called Schnapps Out Of It.

It’s hard to tell from this photo – you can see it better in Coffee Chat Episode 9 (right here). The color looked great with my pale skin (and nearly matched my rain boots) and felt very fall-ish.

On my birthday last week, we went in once again for a fresh manicure and polish change. It had been another three weeks and the peachy-red was starting to peel up on the sides. Again, three weeks feels like a major win for me and my un-delicate hand treatment.

The most recent color is a great neutral gray/purple/taupe called Taupe-less Beach that changes color in different lighting.

I highly recommend this brand of gel polish. You can purchase it on your own (links above), but it is the kind you need to cure with the special light-thing. I’m not great at painting my own nails, so I prefer to get them done by a professional.

If you have had gel done professionally and it hasn’t lasted you more than a week, seek out a salon that uses this OPI GelColor polish and give it a try. It’s magic!

Also, how fun are the names of nail polish?!

P.S. Follow me on instagram for more in-the-moment photos like the ones above! My name is @jonesdesigncompany

Ironically, I had this same polish applied just before my wedding (almost 3 weeks ago) and was just saying the other day, I’ve never had a polish or gel polish for that matter last this long. I had completely forgotten the brand of polish until I read this post. Thank you for sharing/jogging my memory so I can find a salon around here (we got married in another province) that uses this polish!

I have also experienced the down side of gel manicures. My nails are normally healthy & strong, but with each time I have gotten a gel mani, it literally ruins my nails underneath for months. The whole soaking in acetone/remover gives me the heebie-jeebies anyway (I feel like I am ingesting poison thru my skin), & then one nail tech had a technique where instead of soaking your whole hand in a dish, she would put the remover on small cotton swabs & cover it with foil, so it was on the nail only & not on the hand. Still did not care for it, and although the mani looked nice for several weeks, the damage it did to my natural nail was not worth it for me. I have had several Shellac gel manis & also CND & OPI products, and they caused my nails to become brittle, dry & split after every time. Which is a bummer because they look so nice.

I had my nails done two weeks ago in the Tuape-less beach. The manicurist was loving it saying she had never used that color. However, my mani last 9 days before it chipped. I’ve heard that extra time under the light makes it last longer. I love the colors that you chose. I am really loving having my nails done. Being fresh back in the work force, it’s nice to have a little pampering done.

Love the polish selections! Totally off topic – I noticed in one of the photos that you are wearing Hunter boots. I’m thinking in investing in pair but just wondering how you like them? Main concern…Are they comfortable?

Hunter boots are super comfortable. I have a tall pair that I wear in the fall and these short ones I bought last spring. I actually ordered five or six different pair – different brands, different styles – and of course the ones I liked the best were Hunter. They just feel so much more comfortable and substantial than any others. I ordered off Amazon Prime with free shipping and free returns, so you can always try them out to see how they feel and send them back if they are not quite right. They do run true to size – maybe size down if you are a half-size.

I just had my first gel mani and love it. My only complaint is the distinct “line” from the new nail growth at the cuticle area. I can only imagine what it will look like at 3 weeks. Do we just ignore it and hope no one notices?? :)

Gel manicures are totally addictive. So much so that I asked for a gift certificate from my nail place for Christmas last year. And that’s all I wanted! I’m still deducting from it. My fall/winter go to is You Don’t Know Jacque but I’m totally getting that Schnapps at my appointment next week! Love it. Perfect redhead color. I get three-four weeks out of it and my only beef is that my nails get way too long, too.

I have not braved the world of gel polish, yet. After acrylics for so many years, it’s taken 3+ years without them and only wearing polish to rehabilitate my nails. If I try gel will I lose the top layer/layers of my own nails if I need to take them off? I love all 3 choices above and would find myself wanting to switch up the colors after a week of wear…is that defeating the whole purpose of gel? I’m a nut–my niece teases me about using a quick-dry top coat since I change polish color so often. What’s the point, right? ;)

Pretty! A friend of mine has similar coloring to you, and she got a very light gray…I think it was shellac, not gel, but it was gorgeous. I love the idea of autumnal whites/grays and think it should be a thing, lol. These are pretty colors too!!

I have Taupeless Beach on my nails right now and am also going on 3 weeks! I was really unsure at first, but the color has grown on me. I’ve also recently discovered the joy of OPI GEL and I am SOLD. I’ve also discovered that, as my nails get too long in the 3rd week, I can file them with the polish still on without ruining the polish. Magic!

I have used the OPI gel polish for over 5 years. Unfortunately. my own nails are weak and brittle due to the gels. It would take 3 months to grow my nails out with no polish. At some point I would like to do this but feel the fall holiday months are not the time to have my nails look horrible. I’m saying this to let others know there is a downside to having gels.

Robbie you might try adding some good quality integral collagen to your diet! It serously does amazing things for your hair, skin, and nails! I prefer the collagen from trimhealthymama.com because it’s very pure and is only the one ingredient, but I know there are other brands you can try as well. ; )

love, love, love the Schnapps Out Of It color! Have been wearing it for about a month here in KY! perfect for autumn! The OPI Gel has been great for my nails and I’ve found a salon that isn’t to awfully expensive and I definitely get three weeks out of every manicure! Great blog post, Emily!